Clothes-pin.



J. F. NORMAN.

CLOTHES PIN.

APPLICATION FILED 00129, 1908.

Patented Dec. 14, 1909.

JOHN F. NORMAN, OF KNOXVILLE, ARKANSAS.

CLOTHES-PIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Dec. 1. 1,, 1909.

Application filed October 29, 1908. Serial No. 460,084.

To all whom-it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. NORMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Knoxville, in the county of Johnson and State of Arkansas,have invented a new and useful Clothes-Pin, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates generally to clothespins, and specifically todevices of the abovementioned class which are formed from a strip ofresilient metal bent upon itself to form clips, the pins so formed beingadapted for permanent attachment to a line from which garments aresuspended for drying.

The objects of the invention are, the provision in a merchantable form,of a device of the above-mentioned class which shall be inexpensive inconstruction, facile in operation and devoid of complicated parts; theprovision of a hanger which shall suspend the pin upon the line beyondthe danger of accidental or malicious detachment; the provision of agrip whereby the pin may be seized when it is desired to free thesuspended garments from the retentive action of the pin; the provisionof a line-clip having a powerful grip upon the line.

lVith these and other objects in view, as will hereinafter more fullyappear, the invention consists in the novel construction and arrangementof parts hereinafter described, delineated in the accompanying drawings,and particularly pointed out in that portion of this instrument whereinpatentable novelty is claimed for certain distinctive and peculiarfeatures of the device, it being understood that, within the scope ofwhat hereinafter thus is claimed, divers changes in the form,proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be madewithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantagesof the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the draw- 1ngs.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a perspective view of theclothes pin of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of amodified form thereof.

The pin of my invention, in its preferred form, is fashioned from asingle strip of resilient metal, bent as hereinafter described.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a hanger 1, comprising aplurallty of convolutions 2 having their terminals bent about each otheras shown at 4, the terminals of the convolutions being prolonged andextended from the hanger 1 in opposite directions in substantialalinement, as shown at The remote ends of the extended terminals 3 carryresilient garment and line clips, disposed upon opposite sides of theportions 3, as shown in Fig. 1, and out of alinement with each other. Ifurther provide a pair of U-shaped line-clips 5 disposed insubstantially the same plane. Rising above the line-clips 5 is aU-shaped grip 6 integral with the adjacent sides 7 of the line-clips 5.

The numerals 8 and 10 designate annular garment clips having their innerends integral with the terminals of a U-shaped compression member 9transversely engaging the adjacent sides 7 of the line-clips 5. Theouter end of the garment clip 8 is integral with the terminal of one ofthe remote ends 11 of the line-clips 5, and the outer end of the garmentclip 10 flexes into the member 8, carrying the annular hanger ashereinbefore described.

It is intended that the desired number of clothes-pins shall be strungupon the clothesline before the same is suspended, and that they shallthere remain. It is common, in pins of the type herein disclosed, toform the hanger 1 with a plurality of convolutions spirally arranged andunprovided with the twist shown at 4.

lVith the common construction referred to, the pin may be removed easilyfrom the line, after the method employed in removing a key from a keyring and this fact prompts children and maliciously disposed persons toremove the pins from the line; and it is not uncommon for pins of theusual form to be shaken from the line by the wind or removed therefromwith the garments; circumstances which are impossible with the pin of myinvention.

A clothes-pin to be effective should hold firmly the line and theclothes thereon suspended, and when the pin is tobe freed from its graspupon the garment, a firm finger-hold is required. The grip 6, risingabove the body of the pin, furnishes a means whereby the pin may beeasily manipulated.

When the pin of my invention is in use, the clothes will be held to theline by the line-clips 5, and held to each other beneath the line by thegarment-clips 8 and 10. I

regard the compression member 9 as of special importance, since itserves to reinforce the hold of the line-clips 5 upon the garments andthe line whereon the garments are suspended.

As shown in Fig. 1, the means for holding the garments to the line aredisposed upon opposite sides of the members 3 and are consequently outof alinement. By this construction, the gripping effect of the clips 5,S and 10 are reinforced by the resiliency of the portions 3 which givesto the clips an additional lateral holding efficiency.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a modified form of my invention, the devicetaking the shape of a clothes pin of single grip.

Having thus described my invention, my claim as follows:

A clothes pin fashioned from a single strip of metal bent to form a pairof depending, U-shaped line clips, disposed substantially in a commonplane and united at their adjacent extremities, the remote extremity ofone of said line clips being bent to form a circular garment clip,disposed in a plane substantially normal to the plane of the line clips,the extremity of said garment clip being sharply bent upon itself toform a 'U-shaped compression member arranged to inclose, in grippingrelation, the adjacent sides of the line clips, the extremity of thecompression member being bent to form a circular garment clip similar tothe firstnamed garment clip, and disposed in a plane substantiallyparallel thereto.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. NORMAN.

Vitnesses P. H. Jn'r'r, v D. STILLEY.

